Marking pen



May 7, 1963 N. R. CLINE MARKING PEN Filed Sept. 18, 1961 FIG. 2

FIG. I

INVENTOR. NATHAN R. cuma fi mm ATTORNEY rates This invention relates to writing, printing and marking. In a more specific aspect, this invention relates to marking pens. More specifically, this invention relates to writing, printing and marking pens. Still more specifically, my invention relates to barrel type fountain pens which have a felt point or nib and which are commonly and desirably used to make relatively broad lines for writing, marking and printing on such as advertising placards, shipping boxes and crates, supermarket signs, packing cases and the like. In a still more specific aspect, the invention relates to means for positioning and locating a relatively long absorbent member part of which desirably forms a pen nib.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application titled, Fountain Pen, Serial No. 768,314, filed October 20, 1958.

Fountain pens have long been known. Barrel type fountain pens which use a felt nib or point to make wide lines in writing, marking and printing are also known. Heretofore the ink has been stored for use in a reservoir or in absorbent material in the barrel or in a chamber behind a piece of absorbent material. Such absorbent material is commonly a separate piece of the same or substantially the same type of material as that from which the nib or felt point is made. By capillary action and gravity the ink feeds down to the felt piece forming the point or nib upon its removal therefrom through use and likewise the reservoir piece of absorbent material can be filled with ink by capillary action through the felt piece forming the point or nib with which the reservoir piece of absorbent material is in physical contact. In some instances, the reservoir is charged with ink by other suitable means. Because of structure and leakage problems and because of the problems of wear of the felt, the com men and usual pens of the prior art utilized separate pieces of material for the felt point or nibs and for the reservoir absorbent material. With this type construction it is very necessary at all times for the piece of material forming the nib or point to be in positive physical contact with the ink containing reservoir absorbent material. This necessary contact has proven very difficult to obtain and maintain. Failure of the pen in operation often occurs because of physical separation between the nib and the ink containing absorbent material.

Also in the pens of the prior art an important disadvantage is that when the felt point or nib wears down to the barrel or holding member for the nib it is necessary to replace the entire felt point or nib. This rather frequent replacement is undesirable and it increases the chances of failure of contact between the nib piece of material and the ink containing material Within the barrel. It results in an increased cost to the user as a portion of unused felt must be thrown away each time. Another important difliculty in the pens of the prior art is that the nib is not firmly held in the barrel during use making the pen difiicult or impossible to use for writing, printing and marking. A further disadvantage of the pens of the prior art is the fact that they leak in use due to the heat of the hands of the writer and this results in ink running and dripping to ruin the writing, printing and markings. Heat from the body of the user raises the temperature and introduces heat into the closed barrel of the pen tending to vaporize the quick drying low boiling solvent of the ink and increasing the vapor pressure of fine the ink therein forcing the ink out through and around the nib or point.

These and other disadvantages of the prior art marking pen structure have been eliminated by the new marking pen of my invention. Means have been provided to eliminate the problems of contact between the ink reservoir and the writing nib, the leakage of ink after prolonged use, the tendency of the nib to slide back in the barrel and the necessity of throwing away a large portion of the absorbent material. In my new pen structure, I have provided a pen barrel having an integral piece of absorbent material, one portion of which serves as the writing nib or point and the other portion of which serves to absorb and store ink. I have provided clip means which is in contact with the absorbent material, thus preventing the material from sliding back into the pen but permitting the material to be moved out of the pen barrel to form a new nib or point.

in a preferred specific embodiment of the new fountain pen structure of my invention, an elongated hollow barrel is provided, the outside surface of which is slightly tapered at one end and the other end of the barrel is open and preferably internally threaded. A metal plug is secured to and closes the tapered end of the barrel. A single and one piece absorbent felt wick or absorbent material for ink having a rectangular cross section is provided and mounted in the barrel. This wick or absorbent material is of such a length that, when new, one end of the wick substantially reaches the closed end of the barrel and the other end of the wick extends out of the barrel and forms the nib of the marking pen. A metal holder member is threadably and removably mounted in one end in the open end of the barrel and is conically shaped on its outer surface at its other end. The holder member is open at both ends and has a larger opening at its threaded end. The junction of the two openings forms an annular ledge or shoulder. Through this holder member is a small straight vent hole positioned to communicate between the interior of the barrel and the atmosphere. A metal spring clip is provided and is mounted in the barrel and extends to the closed end of the barrel and has a width approximately the same as the Wick. The central portion of this clip is bent and surrounds the end of the wick or absorbent material when the wick is unused and the clip has two arms extending toward the holder member from the inner end of the wick. Each of these arms is bowed in the middle so as to be in frictional contact with the interior of the barrel. The clip is formed of a spring material and the ends of each of the arms are bent abruptly toward each other and are held tightly engaged with the sides of the absorbent material by the spring action of the arms. They are held thus by the inside holder member at its threaded and mounted end and are firmly prevented from sliding through the holder member by the aforementioned shoulder of the holder member which is engaged by the ends of the clip. An irnperforate cap is also provided and this cap is frictionally and removably mounted on knurls on the outer surface of the holder member to close the open end of the pen and the vent hole and to enclose the nib. The marking pen is filled by removing the cap and placing the felt nib in a suitable instant-drying marking ink. The wick is adjustable after its nib portion has been worn by moving the wick relative to the metal barrel and the spring clip until it again extends a suflicient length beyond the barrel so that it will extend through and somewhat beyond the holder member. The vapor in the barrel resulting from evaporation of instant-drying ink in use is vented through the vent hole. Thus the problems of the pens of the prior art have been eliminated with my new marking pen. Because the reservoir absorbent material and the felt point or nib are integral,

there is no problem of loss of contact between the two portions. The spring clip avoids the problem of a backward movement or slipa-ge of the nib and it also makes it possible toaccurately position the absorbent material in the desired position by advancing the material as the nib wears down and thus increasing the useful life of a piece of absorbent material. The leakage problem of the prior art has been solved in two ways. One Way is by the use of a vent hole which allows the pressure inside and outside the pen barrel to remain constant. The other way is the use of an absorbent material having a rectangular cross section which when fitted through the circular hole of the holding member provides four small holes or openings connecting the atmosphere with the barrel. However, the provision for the vent hole allows the use of a felt material of circular cross section filling the holder member hole if such be desired. The new pen structure of my invention is of relatively simple structure and is easy and economical to manufacture. Pens made according to my invention have proven reliable in use and give no difllculty over long periods.

. It is an object of this invention to provide new writing means.

Itis another object of this invention to provide new fountain pen writing, printing and marking means of the type which uses a nib or point of absorbent material.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a fountain pen of the type having an absorbent nib or point usually of'felt to make broad lines which will not leak in use in the hand of the user and which will last a relatively long time without replacement of parts.

It is yet another object of this invention to overcome the difficulties of the prior art, specifically the leakage caused by increased pressure in the barrel, the necessity of frequent replacement of the felt tip, pen failures caused by separation of the nib and the ink reservoir portions and the slippage of the nib into the barrel.

Another object of the invention is to provide new marking means having clip means therewith to positively hold and position absorbent material in place.

A further object of the invention is toprovide new means of securing absorbentmaterial in a pen barrel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide new clip means positionable Within'the barrel of a pen and engageable with felt means therein to hold same with the felt means being adjustable relative to the barreland the clip means.

Other objects, advantages and features of the new fountainpen of my invention will become apparent and will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and referring to the accompanying drawmgs.

Drawings accompany and are part of this disclosure. These drawings depict the preferred specific embodiment of the new fountain pen structure of my invention and it is to be understood that such drawings are not'to limit unduly the scope of my invention.

In the drawings, FIG. -1 is an elevation view of a preferred specific embodiment of the new fountain pen structure of my invention with the cap of the pen removed.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinalcross-sectional view through the pen structure of FIG. 1 with the cap mounted thereon.

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-section view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-section view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The following is a discussion and description of the new fountain pen structure of my invention made with reference tothe drawings whereon the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts and/or structure. The discussion and description are of a preferred specific embodiment of the new pen structureof my invention and it is to be understood that such is not to unduly limit the scope of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a preferred specific embodiment of the new pen structure of my invention is shown generally at 6. The pen 6 includes an elongated hollow barrel 8-, the outside surface of which is slightly tapered at one end 9' and the other end 10 of which is open and internally threaded. A metal plug or the like 12 is provided and is secured to and closes the tapered end of the barrel. The elongated barrel 8 is preferably made of suitable metals, such as aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, steel and the like, or the barrel can be made of plastic materials, hard rubber, etc. if desired. An aluminum metal structure has been found very satisfactory in use and can be used without insulation due to the new venting or breathing structure incorporated into the fountain pen.

A single and one piece absorbent felt Wick 14 for ink is provided and preferably has a rectangularv cross-section and is mounted in barrel 8. Wick- 14 is of such length that when new, one end 16 of the wick substantially reaches the plug 12 in the tapered and closed end 9 of the barrel 8 and the other end of the wick extends out of the open end 10 of the barrel and forms the nib 16 of the marking pen. It is desirable that the absorbent wick 14 be very porous and full of capillaries to absorb and hold a relatively large quantity of instant-drying writing and/ or printing ink. The absorbent wick 14 can be of any desired and suitable size and shape, a rectangular shaped absorbent material having been found desirable in use. A metal'holder member 18 is provided having knurls 20 on the outside thereof. Holder member 18 is externally threaded in one end portion and is threadedly and removably mounted in the open end '10 of the barrel 8. The holder member :18 is preferably conically shaped on its outer surface at its non-threaded or extending end. The holder member is open at both ends and has a relatively small hole v22 at its non-threaded or extending end and a relatively larger hole 24 at its threaded or mounted end. Intermediate the ends of the holder member and at the junction of these two holes a shoulder or ledge 26' is formed. There is a-straight vent hole 28 drilled in the wallet the holder member 18 and positioned and communicating between the interior of the barrel 8 and the atmosphere.

A clip 30 preferably of a spring metal material is mounted in barrel 8 and extends to the closed end 9 thereof. The width of clip 30 is approximately equal to that of wick .14. The central portion of the clip 30 is bent around the inner end 16 of the absorbent material or wick 14 when the wick is new. The clip has two arm portions 31 and 32 extending toward the holder member 18 from the inner end 16 of the wick '14 and each arm is preferably bowed in its middle portion and is frictionally in contact with the inner surface of the barrel 8. The ends 34 and35 of the arms 31 and 32 of the clip 30 are bent abruptly toward one another and are held tightly engaged with'the sides of the absorbent material 14 by the spring action of arms 31 and 32 and by the inside of hole 24 of the holder member 18. The clip 34) is prevented from sliding through holder member 18 by shoulder 26 of the holder member ;18 which is engaged by the ends 34 and 35 of the spring member. An imperforate cap 36 is desirably provided which is frictionally and removably mounted on the knurled portion 20 of holder member 18 to close the open end 22 of holder member 18 and to close the vent hole 28 and to enclose nib 16.

p The outer or nib end portion 16 of absorbent material 14 forms the felt point or nib of the pen and this portion can be shaved or. cut to obtain the desired shape and size. With the shape shown in the drawings, a medium line for writing, printing and marking would result, such being desirable in making advertising placards, addressing shipping boxes and cases, making supermarket signs, marking packing cases and the like. When the nib portion 16 is worn through use, an additional portion of absorbent material 14 can be extended through holder member 18 to provide a new nib portion or felt point and this new extended portion can be shaved or cut if desired.

The new fountain pen structure of my invention can be conveniently filled and stored in an ink well having a top or lid and a neck size suflicient to accommodate the barrel of the fountain pen structure of my invention. The ink well is preferably filled with absorbent material and to keep nib 16 of fountain pen 6 filled with ink or store it as a desk set the barrel 8 of the pen is inserted through the neck with nib or felt point 16 in contact with the ink saturated absorbent material in the ink well. The ink well can be of any suitable design and this ink well forms no part of my invention. The preferred inks used with the new pen structures of my invention are the so-called instant-drying inks of the art and they can be any of the common colors which are available.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications of the preferred pen structure disclosed herein can be made or followed in the light of this discussion and description without departing from the spirit of the disclosure or from the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A marking pen comprising, in combination, an elongated hollow barrel, the outside surface of said barrel being slightly tapered at one end, the other end of said barrel being open and internally threaded, a metal plug secured to and closing the tapered end of said barrel, a single and one piece absorbent felt wick for ink having a rectangular cross section and mounted in said barrel and of such length that one end portion of said wick substantially reaches said closed end of said barrel and the other end portion of said wick extends out of said barrel and forms the nib of said marking pen, a metal holder member threadedly and removably mounted in one end portion in said open end of said barrel, said holder member being conically shaped on its outer surface at the other end portion thereof and having a centrally located knurled portion, said holder member being open at both ends and having a larger opening at said one end portion with said openings forming a shoulder, one small straight vent hole drilled in the wall of said holder member and positioned and cummunicating between the interior of said barrel and the atmosphere, a clip of spring metal mounted in said barrel, the central portion of said clip being bent around said one end portion of said absorbent Wick and positioned at said closed end of said barrel, said clip having two arm portions extending toward said holder member from said central portion, each of said arm portions being bowed in its middle portion so as to be frictionally in contact with the inner surface of said barrel, the ends of each of said arm portions of said clip being bent abruptly toward each other and held tightly engaged with the sides of said absorbent material by the spring action of said clip and prevented from sliding through said holder member by said shoulder of said holder member, and an imperforate cap frictionally and removably mounted on said knurled portion of said holder member to close said other end portion thereof and said hole therein and to enclose said nib portion of said absorbent material, said marking pen being filled by removing said cap and placing said felt nib in suitable instant drying marking ink, said wick being adjustable upon said nib portion thereof having been worn by extending said felt wick relative to said metal barrel and said clip, and with vapors in said barrel resulting from heat and evaporation of said instant drying ink being vented through said vent hole.

2. A marking pen comprising, in combination, a barrel open in one end, a hollow holder member threadedly and removably mounted in said open end of said barrel, said holder member having a shoulder formed therein, a length of absorbent material for ink positioned in said barrel with an integral end portion thereof extending from said barrel through said holder member and forming a pen nib, a hole in the Wall of said holder member positioned and communicating between the interior of said barrel and the atmosphere, a spring clip positioned in said barrel and extending from said one end portion of said barrel to the other end of said barrel, the inner portion of said clip being positioned around the inner end of said absorbent material when new, said clip having two arm portions extending toward said holder member, each of said arm portions being bowed in its middle portion and in frictional contact with the interior of said barrel, the ends of each of said arm portions being bent abruptly toward one another and held tightly against the sides of said absorbent material by the spring action of said clip and prevented from sliding through said holder member by said shoulder, and a cap frictionally and removably mountable on said holder member to close said open end thereof, said hole and to enclose said nib.

3. A marking pen comprising, in combination, a barrel, hollow holding means removably mounted in one end portion of said barrel and having a shoulder therein, absorbent material for ink mounted in said barrel with an outer and integral end portion thereof extending from said barrel through said holding means and forming the nib of said marking pen, an aperture in said holding means positioned and communicating between the interior of said barrel and the atmosphere, a clip positioned within said barrel and having an intermediate portion in contact with the interior of said barrel, said clip having a flexible arm portion in biting contact with said absorbent material and engaging said shoulder of said holding means to prevent said clip from sliding through said holding means, and cap means removably mountable on said barrel to close said one end portion and to enclose said nib.

4. A marking pen comprising, in combination, a barrel, absorbent material for ink mounted in said barrel and extending therefrom, the outer and integral end portion of said absorbent material forming the nib of said marking pen, a clip having flexible arm means mounted in said barrel, said arm means in one end portion having means in biting contact with said absorbent material, another portion of said clip being in spaced relation to said means of said arm means in biting contact with said absorbent material, said another portion of said clip being in pressure engagement with the inner surface of said barrel, holder means mounted in said barrel and engaging said arm means to limit outward movement of said clip, and an aperture in said holder means positioned and communicating between the interior of said barrel and the atmosphere.

5. Marking means comprising, in combination, a barrel, absorbent means for ink mounted in said barrel and extending therefrom with the extending portion thereof forming a marking nib, clip means positioned within said barrel and having flexible arm means, said arm means having means in biting engagement with said absorbent means, another portion of said clip means being in spaced relation to said means of said arm means in biting contact with said absorbent means, said another portion of said clip means being in contact with the inner surface of said barrel, and holder means having a portion within said barrel and engaging said arm means of said clip means to limit outward movement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 938,846 Gunn Nov. 2, 1909' 1,166,896 Garvey Jan. 4, 1916 2,140,009 Hand Dec. 13, 1938 2,740,979 Bridy Apr. 10, 1956 

5. MARKING MEANS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BARREL ABSORBENT MEANS FOR INK MOUNTED IN SAID BARREL AND EXTENDING THEREFROM WITH THE EXTENDING PORTION THEREOF FORMING A MARKING NIB, CLIP MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID BARREL AND HAVING FLEXIBLE ARM MEANS, SAID ARM MEANS HAVING MEANS IN BITING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ABSORBENT MEANS, ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID CLIP MEANS BEING IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID MEANS OF SAID ARM MEANS IN BITING CONTACT WITH SAID ABSORBENT MEANS, SAID ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID CLIP MEANS BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID BARREL, AND HOLDER MEANS HAVING A PORTION WITHIN 